Testing the Waters: Beginning Learnings about Color Mixing

We had two tubs of water out for the children to use: one with pink water color added and one with purple.






















Z patiently transferred all the pink water into the purple tub, using a pipette, a sponge and a bottle.
















When G came over, he noticed the empty tub and said, "Where did all the pink go?"

The teacher said, "The pink is gone?  Where do you think it went?" G said, "Maybe someone threw it in the trash can."  The teacher replied, "Do you want to look and see if it is in there?"  G did, and said, "It's not there.  Where did it go?"

Z said, "We put it in here!" (pointing to the purple tub). G peered in and said, "It disappeared!"

"It's in here!" said, Z, holding up a bottle.  "It's under the water!"

I wonder what made Z say that the pink was under the water.  We couldn't see any pink anymore, but Z had watched it pool into the purple.  Did Z think the pink was hiding under the purple?  Was that the only explanation that made sense to him?  What would happen if we poured pink water into purple while G was looking? What do these beginning explorations tell us about children's ideas of permanence and impermanence?